


Hearts Aren't Bulletproof.

by Rose_Ann



Series: The Defenders [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Power Man and Iron Fist (Comics), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Bisexual Male Character, Crime Fighting, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M, PowerFist - Freeform, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-20 18:39:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11926875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Ann/pseuds/Rose_Ann
Summary: After Alexandra's offer and a particularly bad fight with The Hand after Stick kills Sowande, Danny is left questioning his purpose as The Immortal Iron Fist and his ability to help the other Defenders. Matt then suggests that he should leave New York in order for them to come up with a plan, and Luke decides to join him for protection.Together they will find out that no one can hide from danger on the open road, and that the journey truly is more important than the destination.After all, when the road to freedom is paved with blood, there’s really not telling what one can find out about themselves while searching for others.





	1. Underneath the Dragon's Heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit I wasn't really a fan of Danny's character on Iron Fist, and it got me really sad cause I liked him in the comics. But the defenders came along and with the long awaited interactions between him and Luke. All Gods bless Netflix for that. These boys are precious.  
> So this will be an AUish, because I want them to have some more time alone. The fic starts right after their encounter with Sowande and will eventually pick up on the rest of the show. I just really want them to have more time together. This will be a slow burn - I think - since they just met in the show, but I might reference comic book events if they are relevant to the ones in the tv show.   
> Let me know what you think about the fic and the characters.   
> <3

Luke drives them from New York to Pennsylvania all the way to Ohio. At least it’s where he thinks they are. It’s dark when he tries to open his eyes, and Luke is silent. Too silent. He wishes that there was some music playing in the background from an old radio station, or even the traffic report. Anything other than a silent car and the voices screaming inside his head.

“Hey, you awake?” Luke asks him as if sensing his internal conflict but he ignores the man’s question. His body feels like it weighs a ton, and his joints are all lock into the wrong sockets. Maybe it’s just because he has been sleeping in the same uncomfortable position for hours, or maybe because his body is simply done with what he’s been putting it through. “I’m talking to you, kid.” 

Danny can’t even remember the last time he saw a road sign and all he can really see are small specks of green surrounding them every time the headlines shine their way into the darkness. What time is it? He thinks, but his mouth is beyond tired to form any words. Fighting to open his eyes he’s able to steal a glance at Luke in the driver’s seat. Danny can barely see him too, but he notices his eyes are focused on the road, unwavering. Luke must be driving for at least 10 hours without resting. Danny really should volunteer to help and let him sleep for a while. He really should, but he can’t. His body feels like it’s about to die on him at any given minute. They all fought their way out of New York, and the fight wasn’t an easy one. After Stick killed Sowande, the other members of The Hand came with all they had against them. This time they didn’t send The Black Sky or whatever her name really was, but their minions did enough damage.  
Matt told them that she used to be his girlfriend, that her name was Electra and that she had recognized him. But Stick insisted that she was dead to the world — she was The Black Sky. Murdock had risked their own lives in order to get to her, and Danny’s trust on him had definitely wavered after that. Not to say everyone else’s. But Matt had been the one to suggest their temporary separation after the fight was over, and they had begun patching up their wounds. Colleen’s previous one hadn’t even close yet and she already had new open scars on her body. The same could be said for Jessica and Matt. Being the Immortal Iron Fist meant that he was a part of something bigger than his own body and soul. He wasn’t able to save those he was meant to protect, but at least he could heal his newly acquired friends. Colleen and Matt didn’t protest and received his help gladly. Jessica was very difficult to convince, but her friend Trish was there to put some sense on her thick skull, but Danny ended up too weak to heal himself. His wounds were exposed and not only the physical ones. All the others could see how much it weighed on him to be the one responsible for the death or countless others. And the conflict had just started. 

“I think you should lay low for a while. Just enough so we can come up with a solid plan to stop them.” Matt told him, with his hazy eyes strangely focused on him. 

“He’s not going to run away. He—“ 

“Coleen,” Danny interrupted her. He knew that she meant well, but he still didn’t like when others spoke for him. “No matter where I go, they will follow.” 

“Exactly.” Matt pointed out like it was his idea all along. “This could give New York a bit of a break. Give us time to help some citizens and diminish the damage.” 

“I’m all for ending this shit, but I don’t think hitting pause will do anyone any good. They won’t just stop just because he’s not around.” Jessica told them, beyond done with the conversation before it had even started. 

“I agree. Danny and I can’t just go on a vacation and leave everyone behind. Besides, it might be too dangerous for just the two of us.” 

The underlining that he was still too weak even though he is The Immortal Iron fist it’s not said out loud, but Danny knows that they all share this belief. Only Stick and Sowande dared to say it to his face, but he knew the others probably agreed. He was still a dumb spoiled rich kid, and he was not prepared to fight The Hand by himself. He might have earned his powers, but countless others also did before him. Fighting the dragon had been the first battle, but the war was still to come and Danny wasn’t prepared. 

“Not if I’m there with him.” Luke’s thunder-like voice echoed through Matt’s small apartment. “I can take care of the kid.” 

Danny wanted to say that he wasn’t a kid, but he was too tired to argue with them. He would save his strength to deny the idea once the arguing had come to an end.

“We can’t afford to leave like that. Three people going away is too much, and Danny can’t go by himself.” Colleen protested again, more firmly this time.

“You’re right.” Clare pointed out, after finishing to tend to Matt’s scars. “That’s why Danny and Luke should go alone.” 

“I’m not leaving him.” 

“I can take care of him, Coleen. Don’t worry.” 

“That’s not the point. Danny and I—I won’t leave him.” 

“Colleen, they’re right.” Danny told her releasing a pained breath. He had his mind set on denying the idea altogether, but it did make some sense. Maybe having him gone was the best for everyone. “I’m a liability right now. I need to be stronger.” 

“But you are strong, Danny. You’re The Immortal Iron Fist, you—“ 

“And what that got me?! I failed to do the one thing I had to do, everyone I was supposed to protect is dead, and now I’m being hunted to fulfill whatever bullshit evil purpose they have.” He couldn’t still shake the numerous voices telling him that he was the worst Iron Fist so far. Luke’s voice calling him out on how spoiled and entitled he had always been, and most of all the voices - the screams - he heard on his nightmares. All the innocent lives he was supposed to guard were now all but blood sunken into the ground. Maybe the world was better off without him in the first place. “Maybe…I should go alone.” 

“That’s a fucking suicide mission right there! You’re not doing this shit.” Jessica pointed out. “I get that you’re all emo about those people dying, but if they get you, there’s no telling what they’ll do. Literally.” 

Jessica had been right. It would be a suicide mission to venture alone into the open road with just about every bad guy on town chasing after him. But then again, wasn’t that the reason he made the suggestion in the first place? Wasn’t he looking for an excuse to end this torment in a more dignified way? The others probably labeled him foolish and conceded for always quoting his title out loud, like a mantra - ‘I am the Immortal Iron Fist. Protector of K’un Lun. Sworn enemy of The Hand.’ Jessica would roll her eyes at him, and Luke would cross his arms over his large chest, and Colleen would simply look at him. She knew that he only did it because he was trying to convince himself to be deserving of such titles, not others. Danny fluctuated between total assertiveness and complete lack of faith in himself. And the latter was proving to be much more difficult to dismiss it.  
When it was all decided he said his goodbyes to Colleen and the others, and Luke helped him get inside the car. He was so drained he could barely walk properly without assistance. They made a quick stop at the dojo where he kept a suitcase ready for emergencies and went on their way. It would be a long time on the road until they could stop somewhere safe. There is if such a place even existed, to begin with. 

“Yo, you awake?” 

“Barely.” He answers this time, feeling a little less numb than just a couple of minutes before. “What time is it?” 

“Late.” 

“Hm…where are we?” 

“Somewhere close to Ohio.” He says, and with his eyes closed, Danny can still feel the weight of Luke’s stare on him. The car comes to a stop and with it a brief silence. Luke is probably still staring at him, but he decides it will be less awkward if he remains with his eyes closed. “We’re going to stop for a while. You need to eat something and rest. There’s a Motel not too far from here.” 

Danny opens his eyes fully and inspects his surroundings. They’re parked in front of an old diner with one of those huge blinking neon sign that says ‘Denny’s’. Luke chuckles and wiggles his eyebrows, amused by the word-play, and Danny forces a small reaction out of him. Luke is trying his best to make this bad situation a little more sustainable, and for that Danny is grateful. They didn’t buy a burner phone yet, so he can’t even call Colleen to let her and the others know that they are safe. For now. 

“You haven’t slept in like 10 hours. If there’s someone who needs to rest is you.” 

“I’m okay Danny. Don’t you worry about me.” Danny chuckles lightly, slowly shifting from one uncomfortable position to other. “What?” 

“Everyone calls me Danny, but the way you say it…it feels different somehow.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like…Danny is a nickname, but it sounds so serious when you say it. Like you’re scolding me for doing something wrong. It makes me feel like I’m a kid again, and my mom just found out that I haven’t clean my room like I said I would.” 

“Didn’t you have people to do that for you?” 

Danny feels the sting of Luke’s previous words hit with full force again. Makes his throat go dry and suddenly he finds it hard to swallow his shame. “Right, cause I’m nothing but a spoiled brat. Got it.” 

He’s fumbling with his seatbelt when Luke’s huge hand lands on his shoulder.

“No, I didn’t—look, I’m sorry.” 

“No, you’re right.” He says, freeing himself from the tangled-mess the sleeves of his hoody formed around the seatbelt. “I am a spoiled brat. It’s the reason everyone on K’un Lun died. I should at least be able to own up to the shit I’ve done.” 

“This is not owning up, Danny. This is punishing yourself plain and simple. This shit won’t get you anywhere besides rock bottom. Trust me, I know that. I’ve done my fair share of bad shit.” 

Danny rolls his eyes. “Right, like the Hero of Harlem has a single bad bone in his body. All I’ve ever heard about you it’s how great you are. A true hero, they say.” 

“I wasn’t always like this, Danny. I was young and stupid once. Got mixed up with a no-good crowd and did a lot of bad shit. But I woke up one day and realized that life couldn’t go on like that. I was an embarrassment to my family and brought nothing but heartache to them.” 

“And what did you do?” 

“I got myself out of that shit and decided to start clean. It wasn’t easy. I let everyone I loved down, and it took a long time to get their trust back, but eventually, I earned it.” 

Absentmindedly Danny plays with the strings of his hoody and tries to pretend he’s not feeling completely exposed in front of a man he barely knows. “But how can I earn everyone’s trust back? I don’t know how, Luke.” 

“No one distrusts you, Danny.” He squeezes the younger man’s shoulder gently to call his attention. “You’re the only one who’s disappointed with yourself. Not us.” 

Luke takes a time to study the younger man’s figure. He seems much different from the starry-eyed young man he met just weeks ago. After their initial awkward encounter, and Luke’s reluctance to join forces, Danny had been nothing but wide-smiled and cheerful. For someone who allegedly fought a dragon to earn his powers, the young man was incredibly easy to impress, and he would shower them with questions about their powers and how they got them. Luke had seen him on more than one occasion making funny expressions at Matt, just to see how much his unusual sight allowed him to perceive, and repeatedly asking Jessica to lift heavy object after heavy object in order to see her strength in action. In many ways, he was still a kid - maybe still a bit naive and hopeful - but their last fight changed that. Something fundamentally crucial on his core had changed the moment Alexandra made her offer to him. He was quick to dismiss her, and deny her request, but Luke saw a shadow of doubt growing inside him after that. The young man probably started to wonder how much of what happened was The Hand’s fault and how much of it was due to his incompetence to fulfill his purpose as The Immortal Iron Fist. 

Luke was the one to eventually be run over by a truck, but Danny looked as if he was the one to take the hit. Like his body was dragged through the empty street, and there’s no way to put the pieces back together. 

“I feel like Oppenheimer.” He says.

“Who now?” 

“Oppenheimer, the creator of the atomic bomb.” Danny explains. “I’ve been working towards this goal my whole life, blindly following this path I thought I was supposed to walk on, only to see the power I earned being used against mankind.” 

“No one got to you, Danny.” 

“Yet. They got Matt’s girlfriend, and that Killgrave guy also used Jessica’s powers against innocent people. It’s not an if they’ll get to me, it’s a when. And I don’t want to be a part of that, Luke. I don’t.” 

Luke takes a deep breath. He knows how Danny feels. They probably all do. Self-loathing comes with the territory when you have to bend notions and morals to do what is right. And sometimes, when you bend your values enough times you don’t even know if you can still open your mouth and claim that you have morals in the first place. A killer is a killer, no matter who he has killed, right? Even if you killed one in order to save hundreds, you still go back home with bullet holes in your shirt and blood on your hands. 

“You know…in this way, you remind me a lot of Jessica, and I don’t she was ever truly able to forgive herself after what happened. So she drinks, but alcohol can only take you so far. Hearts aren’t bullet-proof, Danny. I can shield my body from the pain but not my soul from the damage. And neither can her or you, or any of us.” 

“What do we do then?” Danny asks him, with tear-filled eyes that shine even in the darkness inside the car.

“We survive to get to live another day and maybe, just maybe, we can live long enough to right our wrongs and try to forgive ourselves.”

“And how long will that take?” 

“I’ll let you know when I find out,” He tells Danny, with a little sad smile. “But for now, you need to eat something and then rest. No one can save the world on an empty stomach, Danny. Not even the Immortal Iron Fist.”


	2. Harlem's Hero.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Luke and Danny make plans regarding the rest of their journey, the older man realizes that Danny's company is actually growing on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments in here and also on tumblr. I adore this pairing and I'm so happy to see more people posting and writing about them. 
> 
> <3

They eat on yet another no-name diner — the third one on that week alone — but Luke comes to the realization that despite being the sole heir of a multimillionaire empire, Danny Rand has zero taste when it comes to food. He will eat literally anything and everything that is put in front of him. But at least he’s keen when it comes to sharing his food, and he got more than a few strange looks for repeatedly offering Luke a bite of whatever junk-food he’s eating. 

Back when they were still in Ohio the waitress from Denny’s served them a sorry excuse for a burger but Danny still ate like it was some sort of gourmet dish from a five-star restaurant in Manhattan. He even asked for another one accompanied by a huge cup of soda and a portion of curly fries — because the normal ones weren’t ‘fun enough’ for him. Luke can’t help but feel amused by Danny little quirks. The kid can be spoiled and naive at times — extremely agitated and a little annoying too —, but he has his heart in the right place and is always going out of his way to help people. What isn’t exactly the best thing to do when they’re trying to hide from an evil organization, but there’s no telling Danny otherwise when he sees someone he thinks needs help. Half of their previous afternoon was spent helping an old lady named Clara remove a couple of snakes from under her porch. She was so grateful that she offered them money, but they declined. She needed the help and they were lucky enough to be able to provide it.

They ended up sleeping in the car on their first night away from New York — Danny sprawled in the backseat and Luke uncomfortably squeezed in the front — because the nearest Motel didn’t have any rooms available and Luke was too tired to drive another 50 miles to the next one. He’s definitely going to miss the expensive leather interior of Danny’s car when they get rid of it. Hopefully, there won’t be any more nights without a proper place to sleep.

He excuses himself while Danny looks through the menu and goes outside to call Claire. It takes her four rings to answer the call but he knows that if she didn’t get it right away it’s because she’s busy. He tells her that they are fine and that they didn’t see any sign of The Hand so far — luckily. But he doesn’t say where they are just in case the bastards found a way to bug her line or are watching her somehow. Claire doesn’t ask either — she knows better than that. He wants to talk more and ask about normal things like what she had for dinner the previous night, or how are things going at work but he too knows better. He also knows that Claire deserves much more than what he can give her at the moment — and probably has given her so far —, but his abilities come with a great cost, and he can’t afford to lose the opportunity to do something good with it. Clare also tells him that Danny should call Colleen because she’s been jittery all morning waiting for him to contact her. Before hanging up he tells her to pass his regards to the others and to only calm him if something major happens.

Going back inside he is not at all surprised to find Danny still looking through the menu. Luke sighs, feeling less like Harlem’s Hero and much more like Danny’s Rand glorified babysitter. Why the hell he volunteered for this anyway?

“Why you take so long looking through the menu if you’re just going to order a burger anyway?”

“Is this… milkshake thing any good?” Danny asks him without taking his eyes off the page.

“You never had one?” Luke asks, surprised.

“Do I _need_ to tell you again how I spent most of my life being trained by monks in a mystical city?”

“No, please don’t.” He says, raising his arms like he has surrendered. “And yes, they’re quite good. You want one?”

Danny gives him a child-like smile and closes the menu. “Salted Caramel, please.”

“Salted—never mind. I’ll order it for you.”

Luke calls the waiter — a pretty young thing about Danny’s age — and she’s trying so hard to get his attention but Danny doesn’t even notice her efforts. She frowns as she writes their orders and then leaves, dragging her rubbery soles against the wood floor. Poor girl must think that she doesn’t look pretty enough to attract a guy’s attention, but the truth is Danny probably doesn’t even know how flirting even works. He missed a lot of things growing up where he did, but Luke doesn’t know if he’s loyal to a point of not even wanting to look at other women, or he’s simply not interested in them. Either way, these are frivolous thoughts, and they have more important things to worry about.

“We need to get rid of the car, Danny.”

“Why?” He asks, involuntarily giving Luke his puppy eyes. “It’s _really_ comfortable and has great mileage, Luke.”

“Yeah, but it also screams ‘rich white boy is in town’ and we can’t afford that much attention on us right now, Danny.”

It’s already bad enough that they stick out like a sore thumb just by walking side by side, and they don’t need to add any other reason for people to suspect that something about them doesn’t quite add up.Just looking around the dinner he can see all eyes on them, watching their every interaction. Luke doesn’t know what they’re hoping to see exactly, but whatever it is it can’t be good.

“You’re the one who calls too much attention to us.” He whispers getting closer to Luke than he probably should. “You’re almost seven feet tall, Luke. And you _always_ give people the stink eye when they look at us too.”

“I’m just trying to deflect the attention from you, Goldilocks.” He says grabbing Danny’s hoodie and covering his hair. “I need to keep you hidden. And _safe_.” 

Danny is annoyed at first but eventually complies, hiding more of his golden hair under the fabric. He knows that Luke is only trying to protect him. “Fine, but how are we going to do this? We can’t just dump it on the nearest corn field and go on walking like nothing happened.”

Luke rolls his eyes at him.“We won’t. I’ve got a friend in Kansas who owns a car dealership. He can hook us up with something more low-key. Plus we need the money.”

Danny nods in agreement. “Is he from Harlem too? 

“Not exactly,”

Luke is about to open his mouth when the waitress comes back with their order.She gives Luke the day’s special — a thick-crust pie stuffed with a mysterious meat and topped with gravy and sour cream —, and hands Danny his customary choice of burger with fries and now with a milkshake. Luke hates to admit but Danny’s diabetes-infused beverage looks delicious, and it makes him regret not ordering one for himself. The younger man is quick to taste the delicacy and his eyes go wide from enjoyment. Luke figures Danny is not that accustomed to eating high concentrations of sugar, and it’ll probably make him even more restless than he already is.

“Is there something else I can do for you, sugar?” the girl asks Danny, making a point of running her pen over the dip of her cleavage. “Dessert maybe?”

“We’re good, thank you.” Luke is the one to answer since Danny is too busy chewing the burger like a deranged dinosaur. The girl gives him a side-eye look but eventually leaves. “Danny you’re going to choke if you eat like this. God.”

“The burger’s good. You wan’t some?”

“No, and he’s not running away from you either. _Eat slower_.”

Danny rolls his eyes “Don’t treat me like a kid.”

“Then don’t act like one, Danny.”

“Fine.” Danny makes a point of chewing almost in slow motion just to show Luke that he’s taking his advice. “So… where did you meet this guy anyway?”

There’s a moment of silence and Luke watches their surroundings to make sure that no one in the dinner is eavesdropping on the conversation. They can never be too careful.

“Prison.”

“Ok… but do you trust him?”

“He owes me one. I broke him out of jail.”

“Fair enough. When are we leaving?”

“As soon as you finish your milkshake.”

Luke takes the time to study Danny a bit more. Sitting like that, enjoying junk-food like any normal person his age would and without a care in the world, he looks much younger than Luke knows him to be.If Pop was still alive, he would probably tell Luke that Danny needed someone to look out for him and to offer some guidance. Of course that the type of guidance Danny needed was fundamentally different from the type he offered the kids in Harlem. Danny had already found his calling in life — his destiny — now he needed someone to help him get there in once piece. Luke didn’t know if he could be of much use in helping the younger man with his powers, but he could make sure that he was protected while he tried to master his abilities on his own.

“Did you call your girl today?”

“Colleen?”

Luke smiles. “Who else?”

“I’m just not used to hear anyone calling her my girl.” He points out. “That’s all.”

“Well isn’t she? You guys are together, right?”

“Yeah, we are.” Danny shrugs. “I think so. I don’t know.”

“What happened?”

“She’s mad at me because I agreed to leave the city.”

“She doesn’t think it’s a good idea?”

“That’s not the point. It’s just… she thinks I should be with someone who cares about my safety more than they do about defeating The Hand. And that someone is her.” Danny explains. “Things were already a little complicated between us and leaving only made it worse I think.” 

Danny goes back to chewing in silence, making a point to avoid Luke’s attentive stare.

“Hey… I am that someone too, Danny.” Luke tells him, squeezing his shoulder gently. “Yeah, I’m here partially because if they get to you, the whole world could be at their mercy, and I would like to still have a planet where I can live in. But I’m here _mostly_ because I don’t want _you_ to get hurt. I care about you, Danny.”

“I know you do.” Danny smiles and stares at him for a while. “I can feel it…”

“You can… _feel it_?” Luke asks, confused.

Danny nods. “It’s kinda like… I think it has something to do with my abilities. If you know how to read someone’s Chi you can know a lot about them.” He begins. “How do I explain this? It’s like… this _energy_ that leaves your body in waves towards mine, and I can feel them. It’s how I knew I could trust Colleen even though she turned out to be working for them, and it’s how I know I can trust you.”

The realization that Danny is capable of knowing so much about him so easily is daunting, but it still makes him curious. _Is that all he can feel?_ “What else can you sense about me?”

“That you’re good.” He states, matter-of-factly with a smile that is almost blinding. “When I said before you didn’t have a bad bone in your body I wasn’t lying. Your _core_ is good. You might get angry sometimes and make mistakes, but there’s something fundamentally _good_ about you and that’s pretty hard to change.”

“But it happens, right? Matt’s girl is proof of that.”

Dany shakes his head with a little sad smile. “She was the opposite. Her core was evil. She fought the darkness inside but eventually lost. Matt said that she could be good, and I think he was right. She _could_ be good, and maybe she _tried_ , but in the end she was mostly evil. It’s hard to fight against your heart.”

Luke notices how Danny’s mood waivers and he seems sad, defeated even.“Are you saying this from experience?”

“I turned by back on my destiny once. I won’t do it again.”

“Danny… it isn’t you fault that they’re after you.”

“That might be true, but it will be my fault if I let them use me to do something evil.”

“That won’t happen, Danny. I won’t let them.” Luke tells him with an assertive and confident smile, hoping to convince Danny and himself that they are truly capable of completing their journey without being found and captured. “Now finish your milkshake. We need to go.”

They manage to find a vacant room in a motel just outside of Kentucky, and Luke is already dreaming about having a king size bed all to himself — he’s 6’6’’ after all — when the lady at the front desk tells them that the room only has one bed. He thinks about accepting defeat and going back to the car, but they’re both too tired to do that again. The woman from the front desk — Jolene it says on her tag — gives them strange looks every now and then, and Luke doesn’t know what exactly is bothering her. Truth be told he has received many similar looks throughout his life, and most of them revolved around the color of his skin. Somehow he doesn’t think it’s the case this time.

Jolene opens up an enormous book and starts flipping the pages slowly as she studies Danny’s face. The young man smiles at her through hooded lids but she doesn’t respond to the gesture.

“Name?” the woman asks, without taking her eyes of the book.

“Lucian,” Danny gives him a side-eyed look but doesn’t say anything. “James.”

“Ok. Lucian James, you’ll be on room 15. It’s right over there”

Danny yawns and starts rubbing his eyes. “I’m tired…”

“Go ahead then.” Luke tells him, handing Danny the key. “I won’t take long.”

Jolene watches Danny stumbling across the hall until he gets inside the room and closes the door. “That will be 35 dollars. Breakfast is included for another $4,99 per person if you’re interested.” 

“No, thank you. We’ll be leaving early in the morning.” He tells her politely. 

“Check out is at 11, and you’ll pay for another day if you miss that.” 

“We won’t. Thank you.” 

Luke turns around to leave when the woman speaks again.

“This is a family establishment. Just so you know.” She closes the book forcefully. “We don’t accept any kind of depravity in here.”

Luke takes a deep breath and tries to remember what Danny always tells him about being in control of his own emotions and not giving in to anger. Truth is he feels like punching one of the walls in front of him just to show her with whom she’s dealing with. But that would call too much attention and definitely raise a question over their status as normal everyday people, so he doesn’t. He won’t confront her physically, but he can’t let her comment slide as well.

“What’s your point?”

“Just that this is a place for good… _decent_ people.” 

“So I think we’ll fit right in.”

Still not satisfied with Luke’s answer she goes on. “I just don’t know a lot of fellas willing to sleep in a room with another man. And the ones I _do_ know, I don’t want around here.”

Luke gives her a warm smile, showing all his perfectly aligned teeth.“If sleeping is your issue, ma'am, you don’t have to worry. There won’t be a lot of that going on in our room.”

He turns around leaving Jolene completely baffled and angered by his comment. Of course is not true — he and Danny are just friends — but seeing prejudice and injustice fires up his insides in a way that is borderline impossible not to do something about it. Maybe this is what Danny was referring before, about him being fundamentally good and not being able to turn his back on people. He wants to believe that to be the truth. Luke has made many mistakes before — the biggest of them all even cost a kid’s life —, but when Danny looks at him with such blinding trust and tells Luke that he’s good and trustworthy, he believes it. Maybe that’s the real power of The Immortal Iron Fist — unity. Danny was the one to bring them all together, and even when they didn’t trust one another, Danny was the one to break their barriers and convince them to work as a team. Is easy to dismiss his speech and make fun of him when he talks about his title and how he got it, but it’s impossible to turn a blind eye to Danny’s real strength. His belief in others and his willingness to trust is probably stronger than all their powers combined.

Luke gets inside the room to find Danny already half asleep in the middle of the bed, and still fully clothed — he didn’t even take his shoes off. He sits on the edge of the bed and takes his hoodie, relishing the fact that it doesn’t have any bullet holes in it. _Yet_. Life is all about small pleasures. Especially the lives of those who constantly put themselves in danger in order to save others. Danny makes a small distress noise and Luke thinks he might be having a nightmare so he rests a warm hand against Danny’s arm and hopes it will soothe him. And it works. He watches as Danny’s breath steadies and his features soften.

He smiles. Life is also about small victories. Somewhere between trying to put a pillow under his head and removing his shoes, Luke realizes that he truly is Danny’s babysitter, but that the job isn’t all that bad.

“Goodnight, Danny.”

He sits on the armchair beside the bed and closes his eyes. At least they’re not sleeping inside the car anymore.


	3. When in Kansas...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Luke are on their way to Kansas when a misunderstanding between them turns the trip sour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone, this chapter is longer than usual because I couldn't help myself. These beans are adorable.  
> I'm tired and I've been writing for a couple of hours so I dunno what to write in here anymore. I'm all out of witty remarks. Just know that I'm happy with your response to the story and feel free to send me comments or suggestions.   
> Also, point out any mistakes I've made, but forgive me for them. 
> 
> <3

They’re back in New York. All of them. It’s impossible to truly escape The Hand, and they find him and Luke before they can even get to Kansas, so there’s no reason to stay in the road anymore. Wherever they go, The Hand will find them. The peace in the city didn’t last, and this time the hit was even stronger. They attack again, but in Brooklyn — thoug the TV they see a big cloud of dust covering the hole neiborhood. Preliminary reports say that 200 people were found dead with countless injured. Electricity goes down with half of Brooklyn, and the darkness takes over the city. It’s total caos, just like they wanted.

The Defenders can’t just sit and wait anymore so they go out to fight even though they don’t have a plan to defeat the enemy. Matt is chasing Murakami through an alley as him and Luke take turns fighting Bakuto. Danny doesn’t know where Jessica and Colleen are, but the last time they saw them, they were fighting at least seven lowers scale members. Claire is running around taking care of some of the injured. Madame Gao appears as silent and ruthless as she always is. Danny remembers thinking that she was the one to kill his parents, and although he knows now that she wasn’t the one to give the final blow, the bitterness still strikes deep from within as soon as she appears in front of him. She called him naive once — a fool — and in a way she was right. Danny failed to see a lot of things that were right in front of him, but he is a fast learner. Now he knows better than to ignore what his own heart is telling him — screaming at him.

Bakuto is a sneaky son of a bitch, but he once was the one Colleen trusted the most — still has a hold on her to this day. It’s hard to admit and it pains him to see her hesitate to attack him, but she does. Her arms stop for a slip second when her eyes meet her former mentor, but Bakudo is a sneaky son o a bitch, and if he can’t have Colleen no one else will. The katana slices trough her chest in slow motion — like Danny is watching a fight scene from a bad japanese action movie — and then the blood comes. _So much blood_.He screams her name thought the heavy rain and he can see the moment her eyes land on him. There’s an agonizing second of pure realization where she knows what’s to come next. Colleen smiles with blood-tinted lips. The next thing he knows Bakuto’s katana is flying towards Colleen and her head flies away with it. Danny feels like his own head was cut off. Bakuto killed Colleen. She is dead. Her head is somewhere under the heavy rain. _Colleen is dead_. She is…

Danny wakes up to Luke’s figure towering over him beside the bed. He seems worried. _Why is Luke worried?_ There’s daylight outside but the man’s large frame protects him from the harsh reflections and allows him to stay partially in the shadows — for that he is thankful. At first he thinks he might be dreaming, but when his eyes are finally able to focus on the other man’s face Danny sees that he’s smiling, so he smiles as well. He doesn’t know why, but there’s something comforting in the way Luke smiles at him. It makes him feel like he _should_ want to be comforted, but he doesn’t. Danny doesn’t know what he feels actually.

“Hey… you were having a nightmare.” Luke tells him with a soft tone.

“Was I?” Danny asks, rubbing his eyes and removing damp tears from his face. “Did I wake you?”

“No, no… but you were tossing and turning. Got worried.”

Danny shakes his head. “Don’t be. I’m fine.” He sits on the bed and tries to steady himself. His head is still spinning in confusion. The dream was so real. _So real_. “I’m fine, Luke.”

“One more and I’ll believe you.” He says teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. “Were you dreaming about them?”

“No… about us.” Luke gives him a puzzled look, and then a quirk of an eyebrow. He folds his large arms onto his chest and grows amused by the second. “ _Us_ as in the group. _All of us_.”

“I know, Danny. I was just teasing.”

“Yeah, yeah… I know.” Danny runs his hands trough his messy blond waves and tries to ignore the fact that Luke is still staring at him. Like he’s waiting for him to say something, but Danny doesn’t know if he wants to. Doesn’t even know what is that Luke wants to hear. “What?”

Luke simply shakes his head, like he can wait a little more .“You should get ready and have breakfast. We need to get going.”

“Right,” Danny says as if remembering what they had to do. “Kansas.”

“Yeah. I’ll leave and let you get ready.”

Luke turns around to leave, but Danny is quick to interrupt him.

“I’m not a woman, Luke. I don’t need you to leave to get changed.”

Danny spits back, feeling strangely annoyed at the same time he starts removing his shirt and fumbling trough his suitcase looking for a new one. It angers him sometimes how Luke treats him differently than he does others. He is practically unceremonious when it comes to other men — Danny noticed that —, and even women too at times. Danny recalls how he talked with the waitress back in Ohio, and how quick he was to dismiss her. It’s strange really, and Danny doesn’t know exactly why he thinks it shouldn’t be different when it comes to him, he only knows that it is. He’s seen how Luke say things to women — things that’ll make them blush — without even batting an eyelash, and he’s seem how Luke will confront man just as easily. But when it comes to him, it feels like he’s trapped in a weird limbo. Luke treats him like he’s neither — man or woman, friend or foe.

“Calm down there, tiger. I just said that because, I don’t know if you noticed or not, but our bathroom has _no_ door.” Luke points towards the bathroom and watches as Danny’s mouth forms a perfectly round ‘O’. “The last costumer broke it while drunk, and they didn’t have the time to install a new one yet. It was the last room available so I told the front desk we would take it anyway.”

“Oh, I… I didn’t…”

“But if it makes you feel any better I’ll stand here and watch you take a shower.” Luke says matter-of-factly, but with a solid hint of annoyance. Danny can really piss him off sometimes. “Would that make you happier, Danny?”

“No, you can, hm… you can leave.”

“Come find me outside when you’re done.”

And with that, Luke is gone.

Cursing himself for his stupidity, Danny takes a quick shower and then changes. He doesn't want to see Luke just yet so he goes get breakfast before joining the other man. He’s hungry anyway. He needs the energy. The motel doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to food. Danny would much rather eat at another diner on the way to Kansas, but the money is short, and they won’t have any to spare until they exchange the car for a simpler one. He has some eggs, bacon and orange juice and then heads back outside. Luke is waiting for him like clockwork.

“Ready?” he asks, without really looking at Danny. “We need to go.”

Danny gets in the passengers seat and they drive in silence. The GPS tells them that there’s roughly four yours until they get in Kansas, and he’s already feeling uncomfortable in advance. Four hours locked inside a car with a person who’s mad at him. He tries to make the situation a little better by focusing all his energy and trying to meditate, even though the position and the location are working against him.Danny closes his eyes and lets his mind wander. He finds himself in the empty dojo, with Colleens voice echoing inside his head. She tells him to keep fitghing and to not give up. Tells him that they can do anything together — no one will stop them — but for the first time since they meet, Danny doesn’t believe her. He wants to, but her words seem to have lots some of its meaning. Maybe she said them too much, and not they turned into white noise. But still he wants to believe her. Hw owes her that much. The monks thought him to be loyal, and she has always been there for him. Danny wants to think that together they can conquer anything, but he’s none the wiser. Another voice starts echoing inside his head then, trying to take the place of Colleen’s. He fights the intrusion at first, persistent. Doesn’t want to allow a stranger into his mind, but when the sound slides into the crack between his troubled thoughts and his unwavering heart, his resolution breaks. His eyes dart open. They’ve come to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

“Hey… where did you go?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been trying to talk to you for ages, but you didn’t answer me. You completely tuned out.”

“Sorry, I was meditating.”

“Sitting on the passenger's seat in the middle of the road?” Luke asks him, surprised.“Well, I guess you didn’t punch that Dragon for nothing then. We’re here by the way.”

“Already?” Danny looks around even though he doesn’t know where ‘here’ is exactly. He’s never been to this part of the county before and it all looks the same when you’ve been on the road for long enough. “That was fast.”

“Like I said, you tuned out.”

“Hey…” Danny asks, holding Luke by the hem of his shirt before he can fully exit the car. “Are you mad at me?”

“You were meditating.” He says, sounding way less annoyed than before. “ I get it.”

“No, not because of this. About before, _in the room_.”

“Oh, that. I mean… you acted a little strange, but it’s all good now. I won’t sit here and pretend I know everything that goes on with the mighty Iron Fist, but I was just trying to help. That’s all.”

Danny sighs heavily. “I know that I do. It’s just… sometimes I don’t really know how to deal with people.”

“With people of with me?”

_It’s a fair question_ , Danny thinks. But one he’s not ready to answer just now. “Can’t it be both?”

“Look, Danny… why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong? Things will be much easier if we’re honest with each other.”

“Ok.” He starts. “It’s just… you treat me like… you treat me different than you do everyone else. Like I’m… _special_.”

Luke gives him a puzzled look. “And that is bad because…”

“Not good special, _different_ , special.” He says. “Like I’m fragile or something. Like I might break.”

“I don’t think that about you.” Luke shakes his head in surprised. “I’ve seen you fighting—hell, you punched me once. I _know_ what you can do.”

Danny shakes his head. Luke is missing the point. “Not that kind of fragile, Luke. Not physically.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’re upset because I care?”

“No, not that. I just… I don’t know how I’m supposed to _feel_ about it. You… and everything else.”

“Danny, you’re not _supposed_ to feel anything. For anyone. Things aren’t always black and white like you learned. In fact, life is very much gray and you just have to figure some things out as you go.”

“Everything is so confusing, Luke.” He signs. “Life. People. _Feelings_.”

Luke smiles a little. He can imagine how weird it must all be to Danny. “Look… you just have to give yourself some time, Danny. Things might be confusing now, but you’ll get it right eventually.”

“Thanks.”

Luke envelopes him in a hug, that although slightly awkward due to their position, and nothing short of heartwarming. It suddenly takes him back to his childhood to whatever time he got hurt, and his mom would always hug his pain away. Luke is good in that too. Danny thinks that he will be a good parent one day — one that is firm but also always forgiving. The thought that Luke might also be a good lover invades his mind and he has to force it out of there. They’re still hugging somehow. How long hugs are supposed to last, and why doesn’t he wants this particular one to end? Luke ruffles on his waves and breaks the contact, but Danny can still feel the man’s hands tangled in his hair. 

They get out of the car and are met by a short and bulky man, that reminds him very much of Danny Devito and Danny is instantaneously amused by that. Sometimes he’s that easy to please.

“Hey, what took you guys so long? You’ve been parked outside for ages.”

“He was meditating.” Luke says, going towards the man and giving him quick hug. “How you’re doing Carlos?”

“Can’t complain. Cops took me for dead when you broke out, so I got a fresh start.”

“With a fake identity.” Luke says, reading the ‘Henrique Gonzales’ on his name tag.

“Baby steps, _amigo_. I can’t just go all clean at once. It’s bad for my body.” He says, laughing. “So, who’s the _güerito?”_

“This is, hm…” 

“I’m the Immortal Iron Fist.” Danny says shaking the man’s hand like it’s the most normal way to introduce himself. “Nice to meet you.” 

“What’s up with the kid?”

“He punched some dragon. It’s a whole thing…”

“No shit. Dragons are legit?” Carlos asked, impressed.

“Anyway… we brought the car.” Luke points at the car behind them. “Want to take a look?”

“ I was eyeing this beauty from afar.” Carlos walks towards the car and starts inspecting it. He opens the hood and looks at the engine for a couple of minutes, and then inspects the interior. “Is the car legit?”

“100%. We’ve got all the documents with us.”

“I didn't expect you to be squeaky clean that soon, but I’m happy for you either way.” He looks at the car again, patting the bodywork. “Nice foreign model, _expensive_. Great mileage too.”

“I told him that.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Yes, but it’s also very out there for us. We’re looking for something more… down to earth, you know? We want to fly under the radar.”

“Say no more, Luke. I can hook you up with a good and reliable American model. You won’t be disappointed.”

They follow Carlos around as he shows off their option. “I have this 2007 Jeep Wrangler that can take you anywhere you need to go.”

The car is a bright-red monstrosity, and even Danny knows that it won’t do. “We want to fly under the radar, Carlos, not over it.”

“Ok…” he walks them towards another car, very similar to the one they have now. “How about this 2010 Cadillac Escalade, if you’re looking for something with a similar internal space?”

“Smaller, Carlos. Think smaller.” 

“Well, what about this reformed 1985 Mustang? It’s reliable and really fucking cool.” 

Danny’s eyes go wide when he sees the car, and Luke can tell that he’ll regret ever bringing them to Carlos’ dealership. He walks around the car with his mouth hanging open but without making no sound.

“Danny—“

“Luke, this car is amazing.” He says, sitting behind the wheel and pretend-driving.“Can we keep it?”

“Danny we’re not in it for style. We need something durable.”

“This car is older than me, Luke. If that isn’t durable I don’t know what is.”

Carlos laugh at that. “The… immortal dragon kid knows what he’s saying, Luke. Listen to him.”

“It’s not—never mind. This all you got for me?”

“Well… I’ve got this 2008 Toyota Camry. Everyone and their momma has one of those. I can trow the tinted windows in the mix for you.”

Luke studies the car for a while. “It seems very forgettable and generic. Just what we need it.” He says, feeling confident with his choice. “What you think, Danny?”

“That I’ve never heard the words forgettable and generic being used as a compliment, but if you think it’s what we need…”

Luke can’t help but notice how Danny eyes the Mustang. The most logical choice is a car that will take them where they need to go and help them hide as they do it. A Mustang is definitely not the flashiest car around, but it’s not the most common either. Especially one like this, all reformed and begging to be taken for a spin. He should just put his foot down and tell Danny that they need to be objective, but it’s hard to do that when the young man has his hopefull blue eyes set on something. He signs, wondering just when he got that soft. “Fine. We’ll take the Mustang.”

Carlos smiles. “You boys won’t regret it. Follow me to the office and we’ll sign the papers.”

They start walking towards the office, but then Danny abruptly comes to a stop. There’s something he needs to do. “Can Luke do it? I need to make a phone call.”

“He can forge your signature if that’s what you mean. No problem.”

Luke rolls his eyes and Danny laughs at Carlos comment. For someone that claims to want to be clean, he has a natural talent for doing shady business. He watches them get inside the office and only them he gets inside the car. Taking a deep breath he grabs the phone and dials Colleen’s number. He’s not surprised when she answers on the second ring. She was probably waiting for him to call. On the other end of the line her voice sounds rushed, like she’d been running to answer the phone but Danny knows that she was most likely training. Colleen had duty written all over her skin like a tattoo. He’d always admired that about her, even when he found out that her alliance was to the enemy. At the time she didn’t see them like that, but know she knows. She also knows him like she knows herself, so when he greets her and his voice waivers a little, Colleen knows that something is not right.

“What’s happening Danny? Talk to me.”

“I, hm… how are things going in the city?”

Danny tries to awkwardly change the subject, but Colleen catches on easily.

“New York is still here. What’s going on over there?”

“We’re just… we traded our car just now. Luke thought it was too… fancy.”

“He’s right. It’s a white collar car, I told you this.” Colleen says with a small laugh, but when Danny doesn’t say anything else she starts getting worried. “Did you see any sign of them?”

Danny shakes his head even though Colleen can’t see it. “No. We’ve been safe so far. What about you?”

“We’re trying to find out what they’re planning.” She signs heavily. “We’ve got a big fat nothing so far.”

“Are the others ok?”

“Jessica drinks like she’s about to venture into the desert and Matt is always running around after that girl.”

“So… the same. What about Clare? Luke told me that you’re staying with her.”

“Yeah, she’s good company. Quiet but still very energetic somehow. Are you and Luke getting along?”

“Me and Luke, we…” Danny’s voice dies in his throat. He wants to tell her that everything is ok, and they’re doing just fine together, but why does the words taste like betrayal on his tongue? Why does it feel wrong to tell her all this? “He’s good company too. I think we make a good time.”

There’s silence in both ends. Neither of them knows how is the proper etiquette applied to their situation. Are they lovers? Are they together still? There are a lot things they left unsaid, hanging on top of their heads like a crown. Some of them because they were just too painful to talk about. Like they are some twisted version of Romeo and Juliet but if this version they are the only ones to come out of the fight alive. The Capulets and the Montagues are all dead, and they stand as their only legacy — and Danny is no stranger to being the only one left behind. There’s a part of him that compels him to open himself for her, to be the loyal warrior he was thought to be and the gentle lover she once said he was, but there’s another part who wants something else.

“Danny… you should come back home.” He hears her voice wavering on the other line. She’s unsure about something too. He’s just not sure what that is. “We’re not going anywhere without you and Luke. It’s pointless for you to stay out there.”

“Colleen… I… I’m sorry but I have to go now. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Danny hangs up feeling defeated by his own emotions. It was a coward move, but he needs to take time and try to understand what’s going on inside his head. He joins Luke and Carlos inside the office just as they’re finishing with the papers. Luke doesn’t sign the papers for him like Carlos said he should do, and Danny ends up with a numb wrist after signing everything. As it turns out going legit involves a lot of papers, and he can suddenly understand why Carlos isn’t so keen and making the move all the way. He’s the proud owner of a 1985 Mustang now and he’s happy about it. It’s definitely not the first car on his name, but it’s the first one he’s proud to have. Carlos tells him that a Mustang is a car for someone like him who has heart, and knows what he wants. Luke rolls his eyes at that, and tells him to cut the salesman talk — he’s sold the car already. Carlos doesn’t take it personally and just laughs at Luke’s comment.

They end up spending the night at Carlos’ place because is nearby and he says he wants to catch up with Luke. Danny isn’t sold on the idea at first, but Carlos wouldn’t be an excellent salesman if he didn’t know how to play people. He prays on his curiosity and his eagerness to please and starts telling him old Mexican tales about brujas and all sort of mystical creatures. Next thing they know it’s dark outside and the best option is to stay in the city for the night. Carlos makes promises about a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and it’s all Danny can talk about for a solid hour.

When the time comes he’s pleased to know that the toasted marshmallows taste just as good as he thought they would. Luke sits across from him looking as unimpressed and unbothered as when he hears him introduce himself with his given title. Danny doesn’t know exactly how much time it takes to roast the marshmallow, so his usually end up crisped to the point of being uneatable. Luke is the one to end up roasting the marshmallows and handing them to the Danny with the same expressionless face.Carlos watches them closely the entire time, and when Luke notices him staring he eats his own marshmallow for the first time.

“So… where are you boys going after?”

Luke and Danny stare at each other as if trying to come up with the same answer on the spot. Truth is, they don’t know.“We’re not sure. As far away from New York as we can, I guess.”

“Isn't your lady back in New York? The one who’ve sent you all those letters?”

“Yeah, she is.” Luke confirms. “But things are complicated now. _Different_.”

“I can tell.” He says, zeroing on the way that Luke and Danny look at each other. “Is that why you two running away?”

“We’re not running away.” Danny says with laser-sharp eyes.

“We’re just laying low for a while. There are some people after him, and I—we need to keep him safe.”

“We as in…”

“Other’s like us.”

“I see.” Carlos says, adding wood to the fire and watching it as it burns slowly. “Well, if we’re speaking of keeping people safe… there’s someone that might need your help too.”

“Who?” Danny is the one to ask.

“My sister and my niece live in a city not too far from here. They’re in trouble. There’s this kid, goes by Toxic Waste, has been giving them a lot of grief.”

Danny gives Luke a pulled expression. “I don’t know much about Kansas but Toxic Waste doesn’t sound like a very common name.”

“It’s an alias, Danny, not he’s real name. Is it gang related?” Carlos nods. “Figures.”

“This kid chargeslocal business owners for protection, but they all just pay because they’re afraid of him.He can do a lot of bad shit. Heard he can poison people just by looking at them.”

“What he wants with your sister?”

“My niece actually. She’s… like you, _special_. He wants her to join the gang.”

“Are they all like him?”

Carlos shakes his head. “Only him as far as I know. I think that’s why he wants her so bad.”

“Carlos…”

“Look, I know you guys have your own shit to deal with, but they’re just good innocent people that need help. You said you wanted to make a difference, and you have the chance to do it now. The police won't do shit, Luke. They won’t. I’m desperate, man. We have no one to turn to.”

Danny turns towards him like thunder, and Luke already knows where this is going.

“We have to help them, Luke.”

“Danny…”

“You said I should do something with my privilege and this is my chance. It’s _our_ chance, Luke. Can you really sit around and ignore it, knowing that you could’ve done something to help? These people need us. Iron Fist and Luke Cage, _together_.” 

“I hate it when you’re right.” Luke complaints. “Fine, we’ll go.”

“Thank you,” Carlos says with an honest smile, undressed of his silver-tongued salesman persona. Just a man desperate to help his family. He gets up and dusts away the sand from his pants “I’ll call Maria and let her know.”

Danny watches him go, feeling like they’re finally where they’re supposed to be. It feels right. _Iron Fist and Luke Cage._ Their names look like they belong together in the same sentence. One after the other, almost like they’re the same thing. He looks back at the other man and he’s watching him with a look that Danny can’t quite place. Suddenly he feels very aware that they’re standing very close to each other and alone. They’ve been alone before, especially since this whole trip started, but lately, it feels different somehow. Danny can’t put his finger on it, but he thinks it’s because something in him has changed. Something very fundamental in the way he perceives Luke is different now.

The silence stretches for too long, so Danny sits near the fire, and goes back to roasting the marshmallows even though he knows he’ll just burn them again. Luke sits beside him and holds another sick to the flames. They stay there, in silence, watching as the fire slowly turns the marshmallows golden-brown.

“This feels right, Luke.”

“It does, Danny.” Luke says with a lazy smile. “It does.”


	4. The Road to El Dorado.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Danny arrive at Rosa's house, but their reception in El Dorado is less than ideal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone, sooo sorry for the delay in this chapter. Work got crazy and it's only getting more > \- <  
> I hope I can make it up to you with the contents of this chapter.  
> Also if any of you live in El Dorado, KS, just know that my description of the city isn't based in reality, and this El Dorado is very different from what I believe the real city to be (this will be more pertinent in future chapters but still...) 
> 
> Let me know what you think about this chapters.  
> <3

It’s late at night when they finally get to El Dorado. Danny laughs when he sees the road sign with the name of the city and asks Luke where they can find the gold. He doesn’t get it at first, but then the younger man explains the legend to him in depth, and Luke regrets ever asking about it. _A whole city made entirely of gold. Danny Rand truly is a weird kid._ He only stops talking about it when they drive around enough for Danny to realize that this El Dorado is nothing like the one in the legend. Again, Luke is sorry he ever asked about it. Now Danny looks like he’s seen someone kicking a puppy. Luke doesn’t understand why the sight makes him want to envelop the younger man in a hug and never let him go again. He shakes his head. There’s no time for daydreaming or whatever it is that he’s doing.

It’s dark so they can’t tell for sure but the streets seem to be covered with some sort of slimy substance. It reminds Luke about a horror movie he saw once as a kid, and he has flashbacks of not being able to sleep alone that night. But he’s a grown man now — they both are — and they need to fight their own monsters alone. Luke stops the car, and when Danny puts his head out the window to check, he notices that the substance has a slight green hue. And the smell — the goddamn smell — is like death and decomposed matter all wrapped up in one terribly lethal bomb. Luke fights his urge to gag and keeps on driving. The sooner they leave this part of town the better, except… _this_ part of town never ends. They drive through rural areas and business streets and they see the same thing everywhere. It’s like the whole town is infested with… something.

“What the hell happened in here?” Danny asks him, briefly uncovering his mouth just enough so he can speak. The smell is too much to handle. “Huh?”

“Probably the guy Carlos told us about. This place looks like a fucking war zone.”

Danny nods, absentmindedly, but he still looks somewhat unconvinced. “Could just one person do all this damage?”

“Carlos said he had some guys with him, didn’t he? Maybe they have powers too.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Danny says and goes back looking out the window.

“Carlos said his sister lives in a house just outside the town limits. It shouldn’t take long now.” When Danny doesn’t answer Luke turns towards him, and finds the younger man lost in thought. “What’s wrong, Danny?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess I still have a hard time understanding how people can be so evil. It makes no sense.”

“This is just one of those things in life that you have to get used to, Danny.” He says, stealing glances at the younger man when he’s not looking at the road ahead. Danny looks tired, but not in the way that one would expect him to be. His body is not tense, his muscles don’t seem sore, but his eyes are defeated. Luke is taken aback by how much he has grown to care about the younger man in such a short time span. He briefly wonders if this is some other ability that he has as The Immortal Iron Fist, but figures it’s probably just a Danny Rand thing. The kid could probably charm a rattlesnake if he wanted to. “I’m not saying that we’ll stand by and watch, but you need to always assume that people will do the absolute worst. You need to be prepared, Danny.”

“I know. I don’t like it, but I know.” He looks outside again when the headlights shine on a house ahead and Danny vaguely recognizes the structure. “Hey, I think we’re here. This gotta be the blue house Carlos talked about.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Also the only house around, so…”

“Yeah, that too. The only _blue_ house around.” The car comes to a stop and they stare at each other for a while, not knowing what to do. It’s late, maybe Carlos’ sister is already sleeping. “Should we go in?”

“We can’t sleep inside this car, that’s for sure. Didn’t see any motel in the way either.”

Danny looks back at the car and smiles. Their Mustang 1985 is definitely not the most common or comfortable car around, but like Carlos said is really fucking cool. And is _theirs_. “You said the seats were comfortable.”

“Yeah, for _sitting_ , Danny. Not sleeping.”

Danny rolls his eyes in response, but before he can say anything else they hear a loud gunshot noise and when they turn towards the house, there’s a woman standing between them and the door, holding an old rifle and pointing right at them. Unconsciously Luke steps in front of Danny, shielding him from any danger.

“Who the fuck are you and why are you standing in my yard?” the woman asks them.

“Your brother sent us. To help.” Luke tries to reason with her as he slowly approaches. “He said he’d call you. Didn’t he?” 

“Are you Luke Cage?” The woman asks, still holding a gun towards him. He doesn’t answer at first, eyes glued to the gun trying to make sure that is pointed solely on him, so she asks again.“Are you?”

“Yes, ma’am. Your brother asked me— _us_ to help you.”

The woman raises an eyebrow and Danny peaks out from behind Luke to look at her. She seems terrified, and that’s especially bad when she has a gun pointed at them. Not that she’ll manage to hurt them — or him — with Luke’s figure standing in the way, but he’s afraid that she might end up hurting herself.

“Tell her I’m the Immortal Iron Fist.” Danny whispers behind him. “Maybe it’ll help.”

“We don’t need no help!” she says, loudly. “You turn around and leave before I shoot you.”

“Rosa—your name is Rosa, right?” the woman doesn’t answer, so Luke goes on. “Your brother said that you and your daughter needed help, and that’s why we’re here.”

“And like I said to Carlos, no one can help us. So you two better leave before you get hurt.”

“ _Mamma, que haces?”_

Rosa looks behind her, and finds her daughter staring at them with wide eyes. _“Volver a la casa, Esperanza._ Now _!”_

“Rosa… we _can_ help you.” Danny says, moving away from Luke so that she can see him properly. “Luke and I, we have abilities. Like your daughter.”

She looks at them with squinty eyes, not letting go of the gun, but holding it a little looser now. “Prove it then. Make things fly like she does.”

“Make things fly?” Danny turns around and looks at the other man. He’s confused at first, but then he gets it. “She’s a telepath? That’s so fucking cool!”

Luke hisses. “Danny, now is really not the time…”

“If you’re like her then show me!” Rosa demands again.

Danny and Luke stare at each other. Danny hadn't had a proper meal in about six hours, and using his powers might end up bringing him to complete exhaustion.They couldn’t take that risk. The Immortal Iron fist needed to always be alert, and The Hand could attack them at any given time. Danny was out of question. Luke could ask her to shoot him, but he didn’t want to ruin a perfectly fine shirt with that experimentation and taking his shirt off first would be too weird. She was still pointing a gun at them, and now Danny wasn’t hiding behind him anymore. He looks around searching for a way to prove that they can indeed be trusted and his eyes land on a large tree on the edge of the garden. He walks towards it, holds the largetrunk with both hands and takes it out of the ground like it weighs absolutely nothing. Luke hears a muted gasp coming from Esperanza and Danny has a grin so wide that it might just split his face into two. He turns to Rosa as if to ask if what he’s done it’s enough proof, and she puts the gun down with a small nod. They earned her trust. For now.

“I hope the white boy knows how to make it grow back.” She says, pointing at the tree. “My husband and I planted that in the day we first moved to this house.”

Danny gives her a wounded look. “Sorry, I can’t. We can plant another one in there if you want.”

“Yeah, it will only take another 20 years to get to this size. So… you coming inside or what?”

Luke and Danny steal glances again and then follow her inside. Strangely her house is one of the few things in the city that isn’t surrounded with that disgusting slime, but judging by what Carlos had told them about Toxic Waste being interested in Esperanza this might explain why. They finally get a proper look at her once they get in the living room. She can’t be more than fifteen, and Luke can clearly see the resemblance between mother and daughter. Esperanza looks like a younger — and slightly less scary — version of Rosa. They have the same big brown eyes and long wavy hair. 

“Sorry about that. Had to be sure.” Rosa says, putting the gun away as they watch her carefully. “This is my daughter Esperanza.”

“Nice to meet you.” Esperanza says shyly. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Tell us about him. The guy.” Luke says, not wanting to waste any more time. “Is he the one behind this strange slime all over town?”

Rosa nods and then sits down on the couch. “Yes. We used to know him as Martin, but I guess Toxic Waste is a good way to describe him now.”

“What does he do exactly?” Danny asks her also sitting on the couch.

“He used to be just your everyday bully right up until like… five years ago maybe. There’s a chemical factory not too far from here. He used to work there but then something happened and he fell inside this huge container, full of… something. Next thing we know the kid is sweating this disgusting green water and whoever touches it gets poisoned. A bunch of folks died just trying to help. The other ones he wanted dead.”

“What about the others? Carlos said he had some sort of gang.”

“Yeah, but the others aren’t like him. They’re just regular sociopaths. To be honest I think most of them are in the gang because they’re too afraid of the guy. If you can’t beat them join them, right?”

“Is that why they want her?” Danny asks, nodding towards Esperanza. “They want her to join the gang?”

“Not them, _him_.” Rosa points out, lighting a cigaret. “They went to the same high school, you know? Martin was already obsessed with her back them but she never liked him, thought he was a real weirdo. After he got his powers we didn’t hear from him for a while. I mean… We knew the things he was doing around town but he didn’t come for us then. It was only when people found out about her that he came.”

“If you don’t mind me asking… how did they find out? ”

“We were walking downtown one day and this child just runs across the street, right in the middle of the cars. I think she didn’t even notice she was doing anything until the kid started levitating and he just stood there, in the air. I guess folks just put two and two when they saw how much she was struggling to keep the kid up there.”She steals a quick glance at her daughter and then looks back at them. “Her nose bleeds because of the effort.”

“What are you… going to do to him?” Esperanza’s voice is so low they can barely hear it.

“We don’t know yet, Esperanza.” Danny confesses, releasing a puff of air. “There’s a lot more we need to know before doing anything about it. We don’t want to risk getting anyone hurt in the process.”

“If you don’t mind we would like to stick around for a couple of days.”

“No worries. We could really use some male company now. Lord knows I do.” She eyes Luke up and down like he’s a piece of meat, and smiles wickedly at him when their eyes met. “Tell me, Luke… is it true what my brother said? Are you really invincible?”

Luke pointedly tries to avoid her eyes again. He is not unfamiliar with women being that straightforward with him but somehow it makes him uncomfortable now. Looking back at Danny he notices that the younger man has his eyes fixed on the ground — he’s also feeling uncomfortable. The girl too is uncertain of her mom’s actions. “I think impenetrable is a better word for it. Nothing can go past my skin.”

“Really?” Rosa walks towards Luke slowly and he swallows dry. “Nothing?”

“Nothing at—“ Luke’s answer is interrupted when Rosa quickly tries to stab him with a large kitchen knife but the whole blade bends when it comes in contact with Luke’s skin. “What the fuck?! Why you did that for?”

“Mom!” Esperanza says, completely shocked. “Why did you—“

“I guess Carlos wasn’t lying them.” She says with a satisfied and slightly mischievous smile while inspecting the knife. The blade is all rolled up like a pastry. “I feel much safer now.”

“I’m glad I could be of use.” Luke answers, ironically. “I think we need to sleep now.”

Rosa guides them towards the guest bedroom — the only other bedroom aside from hers and her daughter’s — and says goodnight. She doesn’t say sorry for trying to stab Luke and he doesn’t ask for it either. Although Danny can see that his face has turned incredibly serious after the fact. He remembers being back from  K'un- Lun and not knowing exactly how to interact with others aside from Colleen and Claire. Some people in the company even thought he was suffering from a severe mental illness, and they definitely condemned his more physical behaviors. Maybe with Rosa is the same thing. Maybe she stayed in survival mode for too long, and now she doesn’t know how to get back to normal. Either way, Danny will give her the benefit of the doubt. She and her daughter suffer too much already and they deserve to be helped.

“Well, It’s better than the car, right?” 

The room is small and the king size bed takes pretty much all the space available inside. There’s not even a reclinable chair like the ones in motels, so there’s really one place to sleep inside the room. Danny swallows dry. Maybe he should offer to sleep on the couch in the leaving room since he’s smaller than Luke. Maybe he should go sleep outside in the middle of the yard. Anywhere but inside a small room alone with Luke.

“Man, I can’t believe she did that! This was the only good shirt I had left.” 

Danny turns around and sees Luke inspecting the torn fabric of his shirt. It was indeed a good shirt. “You can use one of mine if you want. Most of them still have tags.” Luke’s head tips to the side with how much he laughs. “What?”

“You’re too small, Danny. They won’t fit.”

“I’m not small! My height is above average. You’re the giant.” He complains.

“Danny… both Claire and Colleen are taller than you.”

“So? They’re above average too.” Danny says, fumbling through his suitcase looking for a shirt that might fit him. “Women develop earlier than men, or haven’t you heard? By the time we’re 12 they’re all like… Amazons. Tall and deadly.” 

Luke laughs again. “I think this only goes for the women in our lives.”

“Maybe. But what I was going to say is that when I first got to New York I had no idea what my size was so I literally grabbed the first shirts I saw. Most of them are at least one size too big, maybe they’ll fit.”

“I can try.” Luke says, shrugging. “But I still don’t have any clue why she did that.”

“Maybe she got curious. Maybe it was her idea of flirting.”

“Stabbing a guy?”

Danny shrugs. “Elektra injured Matt in every possible way and he still has the hots for her. Maybe even loves her. Some people like that sort of thing.”

Luke pauses for a while, but then he asks. “Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Like this sort of thing?”

“Stabbing?” Danny turns back and asks, confused.

“No. I mean… whatever it was you implied with the Matt and Elektra talk. You like it?”

Danny shakes his head and continues searching for a larger shirt that will fit Luke. “But I can understand the appeal.”

“In stabbing?”

“No, Luke.” He says, frustrated. “With getting curious about you... about your skin, I mean.” Danny finds a shirt and turns around just in time to catch Luke removing the one he’s wearing. He goes almost paralyzed when he’s faced with the magnificence that is Luke’s bare chest, and he can’t help but stare. Luke stares at him too, and for an agonizingly long moment, neither of them says anything. “I mean… it makes no sense if you think about it.”

“About what?” Luke asks, feeling the air get caught up on his throat. Danny is slowly moving towards him. Is it too slow, is too fast? He doesn’t know. All Luke does know is that he’s paralyzed on the spot.

“About…” absentmindedly, Danny reaches out and touches the skin that got in contact with the knife just minutes ago. He smiles. Danny expected it to feel different somehow. Harder or maybe stiff, but it just feels like skin. Warm and soft skin. “How... just a while ago someone put a knife against your skin, but nothing happened. You don’t even have a scratch on you. The knife on the other hand…”

“The perks of going to jail right?” Luke jokes, trying to lighten the mood, but it makes Danny’s eyes on him even more focused. Danny is tracing the lines of his abs, and suddenly Luke thinks he forgot how to breathe. “Had to have something good about it.”

Danny looks up and locks eyes with him. “Don’t joke about that. What they did to you was evil.”

“The doctor was only trying to help.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t the doctor who made you this way. The cop did.”

“Who told you that?”

Danny raises an eyebrow. “Claire. Why?”

Luke shakes his head. “She shouldn’t have told you.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me with your secret?” 

“That’s not the point. You _know_ I trust you.” More than I should, goes unsaid. Luke doesn’t even want to think about how much he really trusts Danny. Maybe more so than he trusts anyone else, which doesn’t make sense because they haven’t known each other for that long. “It was my secret to share, not hers.”

“I’m sorry.” Danny casts his eyes to the floor where Luke’s torn shirt is resting on top of his shoes. “I won’t talk about it anymore. If that’s what you want…”

“I don’t know what I want.” Luke shakes his head. Deep down he thinks he knows what he _really_ wants, he only doesn’t know if he’s allowed to want it that bad. Danny is like a ray of sunshine, and sometimes is blinding to even look at him when he’s smiling. He is all blue eyes and soft skin, and maybe he belongs with someone like Colleen. Someone who doesn’t need to temper their every action so they won’t hurt anyone. Someone whose body is not made to destroy. Absentmindedly, he finds his hand going towards Danny’s hair, and he starts toying with the golden curls. Luke smiles. He likes them a bit longer. “Your hair is getting longer…”

“Can’t say the same about yours.” Danny answers, with a cheeky smile.

“Danny… I need to know.” Luke says, staring inside his eyes and almost seeing himself reflected on them. “Is there something going on between us?”

Danny’s mouth hangs open. “What?”

“Is there something going on between us?” Luke asks again. “I need to know.”

“I heard what you said before, I just… didn’t understand it. What do you mean by _something_?”

“You know what I mean, Danny.” Luke insists, with a hand still tangled on Danny’s curls and the other wrapped around the crook of his neck. They’re so close. _So close_. If Luke wanted he could almost… “Don’t make me say it.”

“I don’t… I just…” Danny trails off, his mind a complete blank.

“Danny… you and I… what are we?”

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr, in case someone wants to chat. 
> 
> https://theindigorose.tumblr.com/
> 
> <3


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